At last... the Gaunt Man speaks! The master of occult terror, the most powerful High Lord of all, finally shares some of his darkest secrets. How did the Gaunt Man become a High Lord? What is the secret of the Darkness Devices? Learn all about these and more in this tale of terror and autobiography of the Orrorshan High Lord. Follow the Guant Man on his first conquest and see the origins of Kurst, Uthorion, and the Nightmares of Orrorsh.

Within this book lies a take of unending horror and mysteries whose solutions have long been locked away in the black heart of the Gaunt Man. Prepare to encounter the reality of fear... if you dare.

Excerpt from the book:

My spirit returned to my body in time to hear the sounds of the cultists working to remove me from the charnel pit. As I felt the last corpse removed from atop me, I opened my eyes and saw the starry canopy of the night sky. My clothing, covered with worms and maggots, stank of moist, dead bodies.

The robed cultists looked at me and gasped, their faces betraying some just-discovered horror. As I called for a mirror, I was surprised at the grating harshness of my voice. When a mirror was finally handed to me, I was struck speechless by my reflected image. My face, indeed my whole body, had become thin and withered, as if I were a living mummy. My eyes lost their irises and pupils, to be replaced by shining red points of light.

There indeed was a price for meeting the Nameless One, and I had paid it in full.

Originally published in softcover mass market format in 1990 by West End Games. Reformatted for better printing. More information about Torg: Roleplaying the Possibility Wars can be found at the West End Games Web site.

A fun read - if you happen to like Torg... The narrative has its inconsistencies (as formerly smart major characters are depicted as utter cretins - but hey ! it's the Gaunt Man's point of view !) As far as Torg novels go, this one is probably one of [...]